This invention relates generally to the container art, and more particularly to a new and useful power tool storage tray blow molded of thermoplastic material.
Power tools such as circular saws are customarily stored and carried about in metal carrying cases provided with a hinged cover adapted to be latched in closed position and having a handle attached thereto. Such saws can be quite heavy, on the order of 8 to 13 pounds, which means that the hinge, the latch and the handle, as well as the metal itself, all must be constructed of sufficient strength to support the full weight of the saw when carrying it about. The result is a relatively heavy, bulky housing structure.
Such metal carrying cases also have the merchandising disadvantage that the saw itself is hidden within the container and is not exposed to view unless the container is open. Even then, the saw is within the container well and must be lifted out for visual inspection.
It is known to mold such cases of a plastic material, but they have most of the foregoing disadvantages because they also completely enclose the saw and must be sufficiently strong to support the full weight of the contained saw. While a molded plastic case can present a more attractive appearance from a merchandising viewpoint, they tend to do so at the sacrifice of storage capacity as contrasted with the bulker metal box.
Therefore, it remains highly desirable to provide an alternative packaging for such power tools which also will accomodate various accessories when the tool is being carried about and which will provide a storage place for both the tool and its accessories in a low cost, low-bulk and light-weight arrangement facilitating the display of the stored tool for merchandising purposes.
It is known to provide a tray which is compartmented to hold various accessories and to hold a tool such as a drill, but in a relatively involved and expensive molded construction in which all of the various parts including the tool are fitted in a caddy type of container having its own handle for carrying the same about. For heavier tools the problem remains of designing a construction including a handle arrangement of adequate strength to support the full weight of the tool when carrying it about.
Another problem arises in connection with providing an opening through a wall of a blow molded article such as a hollow box, for example to provide access to the interior thereof for storage. Such openings are customarily formed by removing the plastic material after molding, as by cutting or routing, to form the opening. Sometimes the proximity of an adjacent part of the box structure makes the removal of such material very difficult, imposing a design limitation sometimes necessitating redesign of the article. It would be highly advantageous to blow mold an article in a manner forming such openings during the mold cycle, or at least forming the article in a manner facilitating the subsequent removal of material to form the opening.